After suffering four concussions throughout his career, Miami Dolphins tight end Jordan Cameron has decided to retire.
Concussions have been a hot topic in recent years, with the number of lawsuits and CTE diagnosis that have been revealed. And in the case of Miami Dolphins tight end Jordan Cameron, he has decided to end his career.
In an interview with Pat McManamon of ESPN.com, Cameron noted that four concussions got him to thinking about his future and ultimately led to his decision to hang up the cleats.
"I started thinking about concussions too much. You can’t play football like that. If I didn’t get concussions, I’d probably keep playing. It’s one of those things, I can’t risk my mental health in the future."
Jordan Cameron retires because of concussion concerns https://t.co/vR5iaCii6B
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) March 10, 2017
He went on to say that he feels fine now, but more concussions could lead to problems down the line, and he didn’t want to risk jeopardizing a future with his family over one more brutal hit.
Cameron spent six seasons in the NFL, having played four years in Cleveland and the last two in Miami. At age 28, Cameron still had plenty of years left in play. But after suffering four concussions, the most recent in 2016, he knew that any further damage could end the possibility of playing.
Thursday opened up the first day of free agency in the NFL, and the Dolphins have already started the process of filling out the TE depth issues. They re-signed Anthony Fasano, who played for Miami from 2008-2012. They also acquired former Jacksonville and Denver tight end Julius Thomas.
Miami is making several changes this season, in hopes of another playoff run in 2017. Head coach Adam Gase made a significant splash in his first year in charge, getting the Dolphins back in playoff contention. Now they look to find the missing pieces that could help them overthrow Tom Brady and the Patriots in the AFC East.